The Last of Their Kind
by katie mase
Summary: Dananoxacoriapolis was an average alien living peacefully on Earth. That is until she was forced to run. Then she met the Doctor and found if she wanted to discover herself, she would have to run faster.
1. Chapter 1

**The Last of Their Kind**

_Summary: Dananoxacoriapolis was an average alien living peacefully on Earth. She knew little of her past, and tried to piece what she knew together. That is until she was forced to run. Then she met the Doctor and found if she wanted to discover herself, she would have to run faster._

**Set: Post Season 3  
Pairing: None, but implied 10/Rose  
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.  
**_A/N: Well now that, that's all out of the way. This just came to my mind one day, and I know there aren't too many fics like this one, so I thought I'd try my hand at it. This chapter is a bit short, but they get longer. Anyway I've never written anything like this, so I hope to hear how I'm doing. Believe it or not, reviews really influence the story. Now when you click the little button at the bottom, just think about all the power you have now ;). Anyway on to the story, I hope you enjoy the ride._

**Chapter One**

She ran. She ran faster than she had ever run before. Renegade strands of wispy brunette hair escaped the protection of her hood, and clung to her eyelashes. Adrenaline pulsed through her body and she didn't dare look back. A girl, who looked no more than seventeen, made her way down the empty streets of the London suburbs. The air that filled her lungs pained her chest and her heart was about to burst. Her hands were cold and shaking. Fear had engulfed her in way she never thought it could. It reached to the very levels of her soul and ate it's way through her body, spreading its infection through her nerves and blood. Beads of sweat raced down the bridge of her nose and around the creases of her eyes, which were of a dull blue that resembled the ocean on a cloudy day. Within those cloudy eyes were the remnants of a jaded soul desperate for hope. For a moment, everything slowed down. Her breathing sounded louder than her footsteps and her surroundings appeared to be still, despite the fact that she continued to run. That's when she saw it.

A blue police box, an anachronism from a time so long ago, stood on an abandon street corner unnoticed to everyone around. So, she ran for it. Irrationally, she thought, if that blue box had gone unnoticed, maybe she would too. Quickly she hid behind it and put her weight against its back. Her chest fell up and down heavily as she gasped for air which she desperately needed. Sweet oxygen filled her parched lungs and quieted her heart. Her heightened senses began to dull and she regained composure. She hoped this conspicuous box, would be the best hiding place from her pursuers. Quiet. The footsteps that had followed her had died away long ago, but she couldn't help but feel she had been followed. Just then, the door of the box slammed open and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She poked her head around the corner and saw a man in a brown pin stripe suit looking back at her. A look of suspicion morphed into concern on his face. Her own expression must have reflected a look of sheer terror. She realized he wasn't looking for her, and she relaxed.

"Are you alright?" he asked tentatively.

She blinked. Words hid within the depths of her mind as she desperately tried to find them. "Um," she began breathlessly. "I think so." She stuttered with an American accent. "This is London right?" It was a silly question, she knew, but only hours before she had been in Cardiff.

He was a bit surprised by her question. But the truth of the matter was, he wasn't even sure he could answer it. "I believe so. That's what I was aiming for at least. Though the vortex is a bit tricky and the old girl isn't what she used to be." He patted the blue box affectionately then returned his attention to her. Something was unusual about her, he could feel it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Suddenly the girls mind faded from reality and took off for a place far beyond the Earth and it's barrier. This man appeared in her vision. The stars, the vortex, the cosmos were all at her disposal as this man and many who weren't him, but were, continued to spin their way in and out of her mind. Pain, sadness, and grief took over as well as joy, hope, and sheer happiness. Those visions suddenly left and she was back behind the blue box. Two words rang stridently in her mind.

"Time Lord."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, all that belongs to RTD. Did you know there is a store called R.T.D? I laughed when I saw it haha.**

_A/N: Updates will be frequent because I have the first 12 chapters done. Yeah, it's gonna be a long one. Anyway, reviews as you know are love _

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Chapter Two**

"Time Lord." He heard her say.

He blinked slowly. Words escaped him, a precedent in its own right. The girl's knees began to quake and give out. There was something powerful overwhelming her. The Time Lord rushed to her aid, and put her arm over his shoulders. He carried her into the blue box until whatever was weighing her down became too much for him. He set her gently on the floor, while she shook violently from the pain.

"So much pain!" She cried in agony, "Why do I hurt so much?" Hot tears fell from the corners of her eyes as she clutched her knees. Stabs of immense pain pulsed through her body and her breathing became shallow. The Time Lord put his fingertips on her temples until her discomfort ceased. Instantly she relaxed and stretched out on the grated floor. Her breathing became steady and the pain left with every breath. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the Doctor. Who are you?"

"I'm Dana." She answered wiping the sweat from her brow.

"And you're American?" He asked.

Dana sat herself upright and looked around the inside of the box. It was bigger on the inside. She didn't say this; she didn't feel the need too. This Doctor probably already realized this obvious, yet most impossible, fact. She looked back at him and realized he was staring at her. She remembered he had asked a question.

"Oh," she began, "Um yeah, kind of. Do you have tea? I could really use some right about now. Or hot chocolate? I love hot chocolate."

Instead of abiding her request, the Doctor pulled out a small device and appeared to be scanning her. She jerked her head away from the blue light the device was emitting. She eyed it suspiciously until she came to the conclusion it wasn't going to hurt.

"Well you're not dangerous, and you're not human." He concluded.

"Yes and yes." Dana replied in a matter of fact way, "Now how about that tea?"

-x-

Weak was the best word to describe the tea. The overwhelming taste of boiling water scalded her tongue as she sipped her drink politely. She liked her tea a bit stronger. Actually she liked hot chocolate more, but she thought it best not to bite the hand that fed her. Weak with a hint of honey. The Doctor walked toward her with his own mug in hand. Silence deafened the two as they continued to avoid the burning questions. Dana could still feel her head pound like her own heart from the earlier events. Episodes such as that have occurred in her life before, but none of that magnitude.

Finally the Doctor broke the silence, "So you're not human?" He felt the need to clarify.

"Neither are you." she replied. More silence. "The Doctor huh? Interesting choice of title. Most people who use that are in a field of medicine or science. Are you in either?"

"Well," He said exaggerating the syllables, "I dabble here and there. I do more traveling than doctoring. Well actually I do fix a lot of things. A mess of things really. Anyway when you do that you're bound to pick up some knowledge in those areas. And Dana, I assume, is a nickname?"

"You assume correctly. It's short for Dananoxacoriapolis. I have a hard enough time saying it. I thought I'd save some poor human the embarrassment of trying."

"It's like talking with peanut butter in your mouth." The Doctor remarked making valiant attempts at pronouncing her name. "Sorry that was rude. I'm a bit rude. Well actually I'm a bit more than that. I'm a bit of a genius, a bit distracted, a bit attached to my thumb, and bit talkative if you haven't guessed. I could babble on for hours. Ask anyone! They'll tell you I can go on and on and on. There's no end in sight sometimes. Once I even -"

"Interesting." Dana interrupted." No really, wow that's fascinating. Time Lord huh? I'll admit I never expected to meet one of you."

The Doctor grew silent. A quiet storm was raging in his eyes. Dana could feel her head throbbing as the Doctor looked out ahead of him, staring into the past of what once was, and what will never be. Conflict was growing within her mind now. She felt faint. She grabbed hold of the console to balance herself. The Doctor awoke from his trance and concern once again returned to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked frantically. "Do you need a lie down or something?"

Suddenly every overwhelming emotion disappeared, like a large weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "No I'm fine now. Really I swear. Look, I see ten fingers, and I can point to my nose." She completed each action, but still the Doctor remained unconvinced.

"You know I would feel much better if you would sit down, or something to that extent please." His brow furrowed and Dana felt a bit guilty. She knew exactly why she had almost fainted. What she couldn't figure out was why all of a sudden. How could so much emotion be built up in one being?

"Okay," she complied.

"And one more thing." He said, "You seem to know about me yeah? But if you're not human, what are you?"

Now it was Dana's turn to be silent. She gripped her mug tightly and nibbled on the edge. She could feel his gaze and his concern. Finally she answered, "I'll tell you, but the thing is I don't think you'll believe me."

"Try me."

"Well according to every government file I've been through I don't exist. I shouldn't exist because my people died long ago." His brow furrowed and his gaze grew more intense. "You see Doctor I am an Empathime."

The Doctor's eyes widened with disbelief. _Empathime. _They were legends, mythical beings. They had died so long ago. Which could only mean one thing: she was the last of her kind. Grief, like a hungry monster, began to consume Dana from the inside out. Her eyes glazed over and rolled into the back of her head. Everything began to slow itself down; including the fall her mug had taken.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: So this is where it may get a bit confusing. And I'm not sure if I have my Doctor Who facts right in this one, so forgive me. If it's blatantly wrong, then you'll know what I'm talking about. Anyway I'm not sure if I want to continue this, I'm not getting too many reviews so I don't know if anyone is reading it or not. So please let me know. Anyway enjoy!_

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Chapter Three**

Dana found herself lying on an alien bed looking up at the ceiling. The sheets were navy blue and the walls were cream. She tried to blow her hair off her face, but realized they were thick with sweat and stuck to her cheeks. Heat radiated off her body as cold sweat trickled down her face and neck. Every limb in her body felt heavy and her vision dazed. Suddenly the Doctor poked his head in to see she had awoken. He walked in and gingerly placed a cold compress on her forehead. The compress felt like ecstasy on her skin as a sudden chill ran through her entire body. Her gloomy ocean eyes fell upon the Doctor as he tugged nervously at his ear lobe.

"Sorry if I scared you or whatever." She mumbled. Her throat was constricted; why she couldn't remember.

"Dana I should be the one apologizing." The storm that had raged in his eyes had calmed, and they were now filled with sympathy for the poor girl with the cruel fate. "I really should learn to keep my emotions in line."

"You figured it out." With much effort, Dana lifted herself and rested her back against the headboard. The Doctor refused to look at her. His witnessing her very existence only emphasized his own harsh reality. "To be honest, you probably know more about me than I do."

He smirked. He heard the hint. "Much like the Time Lords, the Empathime have sub come to legends. Bedtime stories, fairytales, a Neverland." The Doctor said sadly. "It was said they existed long before Gallifrey, but long after the beginning of the universe. In fact, their own legend suggests they were put in the universe to prevent the very problems that came with it. They had a gift, and they had a curse. Their empathetic nature could very well have been their own demise. They kept the peace between planets, races, and time. They could create and they could destroy. Then long before the Time War, their suns mysteriously implode, destroying every last being. All except for one apparently."

Dana listened intently to the Doctors tale. He made her planet's history seem romantic and tragic, much like a Shakespeare play. But there were many parts to his story she didn't understand, nor remember. As far as she knew her people were prosperous as well as the Time Lords. The three magnificent suns still stood proud in the sky as their planet worshiped their power. And what was this time war? Suddenly the room around her faded and stars surrounded her.

She felt cold and alone. She stared out the window looking out into the everlasting universe. Here she was on her first mission to save a planet from the destruction and devastation of war. Alone. Plenty of times before she had gone on these missions with others like herself. Trainees, they had been called. This time however it was different. This time she would travel amongst the stars on a treacherous voyage to a distant planet she had never heard of. Suddenly the ship lurched forcefully. At first she dismissed it as turbulence. That was until she remembered air was needed for that. The ship rocked violently again. Something was pulling the ship. She ran through the corridors to where the captain was. When she reached the door she heard a strident sound echo. The escape pods.

Frantically she opened the door to find the captain and his co-pilot were no where to be seen. The wide window opened her eyes to the reason behind the bumpy ride. The ship was being pulled towards a void. A large gaping hole smack dab in the middle of the universe, stealing and destroying anything in its way. Suddenly a faint voice was calling her name. At first it was unfamiliar, but reality began to seep back into her conscious mind. The voice was louder and more familiar.

_"Dana...Dana!"_

Dana broke from her coma like state from the frantic shakings of the Doctor. It dawned on her that these episodes would be more frequent around him.

"I'm guessing you're alright, yeah?" He asked

"There was a ship," She gasped, "And there was a hole, a big hole in the middle of space."

The Doctor stared at her before answering, "A hole in space?"

"I know it's sounds unlikely, but it's what I saw. I was there." Her gaze was distant and her face molded to a hard concentrated form. All these visions were like a puzzle she just couldn't figure out. The Doctor, perhaps, could be the missing piece.

"Visions? Like of your past, or your future?" The Doctor asked

"I, I don't know. Past, future, does it matter? What's the point if I can't go home?" Dana said nearly heaving sobs.

The Doctor pulled her into a hug and rocked her gently. He knew better than anyone what it was like knowing you had nothing to go back to. Being the only one left, the sole survivor. "I'm sorry, so sorry."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Once again, just so we're clear of course, I don't own Doctor Who. Now stop reminding me please.**

_A/N: So that semi-elusive plot will remain elusive, but for one more chapter I swear!! I just have one little mess I need to clean. Oh don't look at me like that! Just hang with me, keep reading, and leave reviews. I promise it will get more interesting from here on out. Honestly._

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Chapter Four**

Dana walked into the console room to see the Doctor bouncing around the controls. For the first time in months she felt rested, safe. And for the first time, in a long time, she dreamed. In this dream she was listening to the legends of the Time Lords as a young girl in her grandmother's lap. She had spoken of their great power, and their great arrogance. But this Doctor, this particular Time Lord seemed different than those her grandmother spun tales about. This memory, this peaceful memory, came during her long and somber sleep. This Time Lord was stirring something inside her, making her remember everything prior to when she forgot.

"Hello!" He greeted with a manic grin, "Sleep alright?"

"Actually yeah I did." She replied walking toward him, "Best sleep in awhile truthfully."

"Glad to hear it. So where in the universe do you want to go?"

"What?"

"Oh come on! There has to be some planet you wanted to go to, some place in time that you've wanted to see." The Doctor walked around the controls, kicking the switches and pressing the buttons.

"Well," She said thoughtfully, "I've always wanted to go to that planet with all the ice cream. Even the Torchwood files made it sound inviting."

His brow furrowed, "Torchwood?"

"Yeah," Her eyes were downcast, "I worked there for a bit. Just filing away odds and ends. Good summer job for a girl trying to go to college. But funny thing is, despite how long you work there; if you're an alien well, don't expect a raise."

The Doctor smirked, "Quite right. And if you're me, well you're not exactly welcomed there at all. I suppose you can thank me for Torchwood."

Dana laughed and for once her dull eyes shone a bit more brilliantly. It was finally nice to meet someone who could empathize_ with her_. Who could completely understand everything she felt. Her loneliness, fear, and grief. She knew he felt the same.

"So Miss Dananoxacoriapolis, the ice cream planet then?"

Suddenly the TARDIS lurched forward. The Doctor moved around the console hitting random buttons, which made Dana wonder if he was really fit to fly the ship. She grasped the controls and held on as tight as she could. Finally the motion ceased and she was thrown to the ground.

"Sorry about that." The Doctor said, "She's been in a bit of a mood lately."

The Doctor pulled Dana to her feet and they wandered to the front doors. Dana was filled with excitement and anticipation. As far as she can remember, she had never been anywhere farther then the Earths atmospheric barrier.

"Welcome Dana to the famous Ice -" His voice trailed off. For instead of an ice cream planet, it was just an ice filled planet. The ground was covered in a thick blanket of glaciers. Its liquid blue color reminded Dana of a piece of mint gum she had tried once before. The sky was overcast, creating a gloomy atmosphere. No signs of life lingered on the planet and it appeared desolate for miles around. The Doctor seemed unperturbed by this.

"Ice planet, right. Same thing, just missing the cream part." He said.

"Doctor I can't eat this." Dana said.

"Quite right about that." He crinkled his nose and stepped out into the raw exterior. "Oh, it's a bit chilly. Really chilly, downright cold actually."

"It's not that bad." She admitted stepping onto the ice.

"Not that bad? Was your planet some frozen tundra?" He asked

"Doctor I told you, I don't remember anything about my life prior to Earth. I know my name, what I am, what I do, who your people are, and how I know that." She explained, "I don't even know how old I am, or how I even got to Earth."

"Well we can figure out how old you are easy peasy. When, to the best of your knowledge, arrive on Earth?" He asked walking towards the abyss.

"Where are you going?" She asked ignoring his question.

"Oh come on, we can do a little exploring. Now tell me, when did you arrive?"

"Um, let's see, 1650ish." She said

"What?" He exclaimed. "But you only look seventeen! You're nearly five hundred and you look seventeen. I wished I looked seventeen when I was five hundred. Actually no, no I don't. I've always wanted to look twenty - five. Maybe at this rate with my regenerations one day I will."

"Actually," She interrupted. "I think I'm closer to 750. I feel 750."

"And you look seventeen!"

"Well I regenerate you see, learned that the hard way I did. I'm an adult one day, the next day I'm an infant. I think this is my third. I wonder how many I get."

"I get twelve." The Doctor said smugly. "And when you regenerate you begin again as an infant? Oh I'm sorry for that."

"Don't brag." Dana said, "Anyway let's keep walking, unless it's too cold for you."

"Too cold for me! I'll have you know I spent an entire winter on this God forsaken planet where -"

"I don't need an explanation Mr. Talks A lot. Just keep walking."

-x-

The two managed to reach civilization. Or near enough anyway. After hours of walking they reached a small village at the bottom of an ice filled valley. The only signs of life could be heard from a rowdy pub near the edge of town. By this time, the cloudless sky had turned to a star filled one and the two would go to any lengths to find warmth. Dana looked up at the twinkling lights and tried to imagine her own planet just beyond the faintest star. The Doctor observed her and remembered feeling the way she did years and years before. He could see the sadness invading her eyes. She looked into the universe and found it inconceivable that her planet was gone. Wiped off the map. The universe was so large, how could it not be there?

They reached the pub and the Doctor pushed the heavy door open. Humanoid life filled the bar with laughter and tuneless singing. Mostly drunken men were present and the few women who were were wearing scantly clad attire. Despite the fact she was wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt, she felt exposed. The Doctor sensed her discomfort and draped his long jacket over her. Carefully, they made their way through the sea of people to an empty table near the fire.

"So Dana, you're stuck on Earth for hundreds of years, what did you do?" The Doctor asked turning his attention to her.

"Well I know I arrived as an infant, so I guess I regenerated on my way." She began, "And I found myself in Puritan Massachusetts." The Doctor winced when he heard the word Puritan. "Yeah, my thoughts exactly. So I lived normally there. I moved around a bit, I mean there's only so much a woman can do during those times. I think I've been around the world six times. But I mostly just lived in America and England."

"Quite a bit of history you witnessed." The Doctor commented.

"Yeah. I managed to skip two major wars featured on both continents, but I don't like war so I suppose it worked out for me."

Suddenly a strident crash echoed in the pub. Shards of glass were scattered around the floor and the tables had been thrown aside. In the middle of the brawl were two burley men circling each other, throwing punches haphazardly around. Dana began to feel her stomach flutter; it was situations like these that she often found herself dragged into. The two men began shouting and sides were drawn.

"Oh dear Lord." She breathed.

The exit was blocked. Dana knew exactly how this was going to end. What started out as a disagreement between two, would erupt into a war amongst all. She had seen it dozens of times. She could feel the anger and the fear in the room. It tugged at a small part of her. These emotions in petty situations didn't often cause a reaction to her. For hundreds of years she could feel every emotion and understand on a physical level what every human thought. None of it significant enough to do harm. None of it significant enough for her to solve. Only when she was forced to help, was any damaged caused.

"Doctor we should get out of here." Dana whispered.

"Sounds like plan." He grabbed her hand and pulled her inconspicuously around the circle. Unfortunately it wouldn't be that easy.

"Oi you two!" One of the men called, "Just where do you think your going?" His words slurred together into something almost incoherent. All eyes in the room turned towards them. She did the one thing she knew how: she talked her way out.

"We were just leaving that's all. No need to get upset or anything." Dana said.

"Who's upset?" The man bellowed. Dana felt like cowering in the corner, but she buckled her knees and kept her composure.

"No one, I suppose. There just appears to be an argument going on, so I assumed someone was upset about something -"

"I'll say!" The other man bellowed, "That man right there is stealing me property!"

"Oi, you're mad! I've done nothing of the sort!"

"Okay, no need to argue. I'm sure we can find some common ground." Dana said pushing through to the middle of the circle, "Now you sir say he is stealing your property. I can very well understand your anger and resentment. And you sir, say you've done no such crime, therefore I see where your coming from. Now if we can just -"

"Oi! Whose side are you on anyway?" One of the men bellowed.

"Neither, I'm just here as a mediator. A harmless little mediator, just trying to do good."

"The only good that will happen here, if he's long gone and buried!" The larger of the two grabbed an empty beer mug and whipped it at the other man. Instantly Dana grabbed the hands of the two. A blinding white light erupted from the back of her eyes. Wind from nowhere moved the tables and chairs. Fear was struck into everyone. This very scene was almost parallel to a distant memory of the Doctors. One that scared him then, and scares him now. The moment was long and slow. Finally the light dimmed and Dana took a step back. The two men looked at each other and instead of giving each other punches, shook each others hand. Both miraculously apologized.

The Doctor rushed to Dana's aid and swung her arm around his shoulders. The atmosphere in the bar had changed dramatically from a moment ago and the Doctor and Dana slipped out unbeknownst to everyone.

-x-

The Doctor and Dana stumbled into the TARDIS, relieved from the cold exposure. Dana tried to find her footing whilst not tripping into the console. As quickly as she could, she tried to escape into her makeshift sanctuary before the Doctor could question her. However his mouth was little too fast for her feet.

"That was one of the most brilliant things I've ever seen! And trust me I've seen a few brilliant things." He gaped at the seemingly innocent girl.

"Really, it wasn't a big deal." She said breathing deeply, "Now if you excuse me, I think I'm just going to go back to bed."

"No big deal? You may as well have saved a man's life back there. I mean I've read of what your people did, but never did I expect to see it! I mean imagine it; two men are in an argument. An empathime comes and forces them to see the others view. Then that's it, problem solved!"

"Please!" She cried, "Can we just drop it?" It was more of a command then a request. Slightly stunned, the Doctor obliged and let her go. Dana walked off to her room, leaving the Doctor behind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Doctor Who. Just putting that out there.**

_A/N: Merry Christmas!! I hope all those lucky enough to see VotD tomorrow enjoy, I have to wait till July. Anyway short chapter here, I may update before the new year, we'll see._

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**Chapter Five**

Dana awoke for what she assumed was the next morning. It was pretty easy to lose track of time in a place where time was only a mere concept, a figment in ones imagination. She had dreamed some more about what she thought, what she hoped, was about her elusive past. In this dream she felt young and vivid. Everything seemed a little bit brighter and livelier. Standing across from her was a dashing young man she called Tyforous. He was tall, with messy dark hair and piercing blue eyes that penetrated to her very soul. She could feel herself smiling in the dream. She felt light and effervescent, much like a heart sick teenager.

"What are so giddy about?" The Doctor asked, relieved to see she was feeling better from the night before.

"I think I was in love." She said recalling her wonderful dream.

"Ah." he said pushing his square frames back up his nose. His normally out of control hair was matted and a smudge of grease was smeared on his cheek. His tie was loose and his suit jacket had been thrown over the controls. Dana guessed he had been working on the time machine.

"Have you ever been in love Doctor?" She asked tracing the console.

The Doctor didn't answer right away. Love had been such a domestic emotion for him. Something only humans could hold. Yet even he found after 900 years of existence that he could get something other than his destination wrong. However he still couldn't find his happy ending. He looked up at the girl and pushed out every painful feeling. Instead he generated all of the happier emotions that lov...that being in lo...that being with...that he had with her.

Dana inhaled deeply, processing all the light and blissful emotions. "No need to answer Doctor." She sighed happily and walked around the console. "So where are we going today? You know we still haven't made it to that ice cream planet."

The Doctor smirked, "It's nearly Christmas yeah? How about I take you to this amazing planet filled with candy canes and strange ginger men who run all over the place. You can't even catch them!"

Dana laughed at the Doctors enthusiasm. "Sounds great."

"Excellent!" He began to punch in the coordinates and continued to go into extraneous detail about this amazing planet. But something went wrong. The power was lost, as though someone had turned the lights off. Confusion mulled over the Doctors face as he took a step back. He grabbed his suit jacket and ran to the door. "Might as well take a look yeah?"

Dana nodded and followed him out. Beyond the doors darkness engulfed the outside world. However small lights could be seen between the thick forest. Suddenly a prickling pain developed on Dana's skin. She rubbed her hands together and they felt unusually callous. Her breath was short.

She let out a scream in pain. The Doctor caught her before she fell and could feel the heat radiating off her body.

"It hurts!" She gasped. Never in her existence has she felt so much pain. "Why do I hurt?"

The Doctor looked towards the lights and realized they weren't lights at all. It was fire. She didn't just hurt. She burned.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: So I hope the story is going on okay, it'd be nice to know from all you readers out there. Honestly, this is where it gets interesting, I swear!_**

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**Chapter Six**

The thick smog billowed up the stair case into the hall where the small girl stood. Thin angel haired curls entwined with her eyelashes as she watched in confusion as the smoke consumed her surroundings. Blood curdling screams from the terrified sent tremors through the little girl and fear swelled within her body. Out of habit she reached her thumb to her mouth where she nibbled on it nervously. Carefully, she treaded over the floors almost expecting them to crumble at any given moment. A heavy weight began to settle in on her body. She felt the fear.

It was a ravaging monster hardly ever unleashed. Or, that's how it seemed to the girl. Everyone had a small monster inside them she knew. But never had she encountered so many. Never had she felt such a congregation of powerful beings. Finally her own panic began to settle in as she desperately looked for the women who raised her from the time of her infancy. Small tears began to spill from her warm brown eyes where orange flames flickered.

-x-

Beads of sweat cooled her blistered skin as she let deep breaths in her system. She looked up at the sky to see the ash and soot had cleared away, revealing the melted colors of a rising sun. A gentle breeze caressed leaves of nearby trees and a song bird let out a whistle. It was then, she realized, she was not in the TARDIS. A strident clang echoed from behind her. She groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Doctor, why am I on the ground?" She asked

"Because that's where I put you." He answered

"Oh." She said stupidly. "Where are we? It doesn't smell like peppermint."

"Yes, no peppermint around here." He said kneeling next to her, pushing her hair out of her face affectionately. "To be honest, I have no idea where we are."

"Oh." She said again. "I had a dream last night. There was a fire, but I was blond like before."

"Have you ever been ginger?" He asked

"Perhaps."

"Is it nice?"

"What?"

"Is it nice being ginger?" He clarified.

"I don't know." She propped herself up to a lush jungle in front of her. The colors of fragrant looking flowers were loud and vivid. Smoke continued to snake its way in and out of the canopy reaching for the sky. The Doctor wore a look of concern as Dana stared suspicious of her surroundings. "Jungle?"

"Not very articulate this morning are we?" The Doctor grinned.

She threw him a glare and restated her question, "Is that a jungle Doctor?"

"I would say so. Come on, might as well find out where we are." He pulled her to her feet, where momentarily she felt a bit wobbly, like a child first learning to walk. These episodes she was having were really beginning to do a number on her.

They began to make their way through the dense jungle. The moisture in the air swelled beneath the canopy making it painfully humid. As a result the Doctor loosened his tie and Dana pulled her dark hair into a messy up do. However none of these actions gave much relief. The two began to hear sounds of civilization and as quickly as they could they moved toward the sounds. Finally they came upon a clearing where native looking people were cleaning the debris and putting out the smoldering ashes. A small knot formed in Dana's stomach. She didn't like the feeling she was getting from these people.

"Doctor I think we should go back." She whispered. Suddenly a twig snapped and the native's heads turned in their direction. The larger men came towards them, menacingly pointing sharp spears at their throats. Reluctantly, the two put there hands out in front of them and the Doctor said.

"Parlay?"


End file.
